This invention relates to toy buildings and provides for the erection of buildings out of construction elements which are capable of being mated together and constructed in a modular system. The toy building includes wall plates corresponding to one front wall segment which may added on at least along their longitudinal edges by column-shaped connecting elements and which are provided with longitudinal recess for receiving the longitudinal edges of the wall plates, the longitudinal recesses being staggered at angles of 90.degree. or 180.degree.. This arrangement makes it possible to erect various types and arrangements of buildings and to take them apart again.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to simplify toy building elements in order to simplify their manufacture and lower their cost. Furthermore, easier handling will make it possible for the toy to be used, particularly by small children who do not posses great manual dexterity.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention encompasses in a toy building of the above described type, that the side edges and/or the top edges of the wall plates are provided with anchoring elements which may be clampingly secured within longitudinal recesses in the connecting elements or in the longitudinal recesses of the lower edge of the wall plate respectively, by furnishing the recesses with clamping bars which engage alternatingly oppositely disposed sides of the anchoring elements.
The clamping bars cause a slight distortion of the wall plates, but due to their elasticity, provide a secure clamping. Handling is extremely simple because wall plates and connecting elements are simply manually pushed into each other. The bending of the anchoring elements caused by the clamping bars furthermore has the advantage that tolerances caused by the manufacturing methods of injection molding may be balanced by such bending effects so that a lasting clamping results which is not vitiated by constant use. In order to prevent too large bending effects, the present invention provides furthermore that the longitudinal recesses are divided by crossbars and the anchoring elements are divided by notches so that single segments result. Thus the bending is apportioned to individual segments so that for several longitudinal recesses, the clamping bars need be present only in the uppermost and in the lowest longitudinal recess. In such a case the arrangement of the clamping bars is preferably chosen so that in the uppermost and in the lowest longitudinal recess a turn to a reverse orientation occurs. The various parts may be made of a plastic material.
In another embodiment of the invention, notches are provided in the upper edge of the wall plate for the suspension of accessory parts. Thus, accessories, for example signs for inns or lanterns may be suspended after the addition of an upper story. These notches are particularly appropriate for the suspension of ceiling plates provided with mounting means at one side or at two oppositely disposed sides.
The breadth of the ceiling plates corresponds to one module and its length may amount to half or whole module units. They serve not only for the building of intervals between two stories but also for the construction of simulated defense battlements. In order to be able to produce a complete inner ceiling even for larger buildings the present invention provides for a stepwise construction of the lateral edges of the ceiling plates so that the surface of a girder mountable between two ceiling plates extends flush between the plates.
The simplest design for the mounting attachments is an L-shaped connection bent downwardly. In order to obtain also a shoring to the brickwork when ceiling plates are provided at one side only with mounting attachements, the invention provides that the mounting attachments are formed with inverted U-shaped forks, open at their bottom, with the inner leg of the fork being longer than the outer one.
In order to fill the notches when not in use, the invention provides for blank attachment elements fitted onto the notches.
According to an additional feature of the invention, roof elements are provided, as the case may be, with apertures, the roof elements being capable of engaging each other. These roof elements are formed in such a manner that identical roof elements are capable of being engaged along their roof ridges.
This embodiment has the advantage that the number of the parts to be manufactured and consequently the number of the needed molds is reduced, a fact which leads to a lowering of the cost of the toy.
In order to make it possible to combine roof elements for larger roofs, the invention provides that the roof elements may mate their lateral edges by strip-shaped roof-connectors or that they mate with recesses arranged along the side edges of the gable walls, the recesses being disposed on the rear of the gable walls. In this case the under edge of the gable wall may be provided with longitudinal recesses for accepting the anchoring elements of the upper edges of the wall plates.
The clamping of the lateral edges of the roof elements by the roof connectors may be executed exactly like the connection between the wall plates and the connecting elements, in other words by clamping bars which alternatingly mesh on both sides of the edges.
Two roof elements may be connected at the ridge of the roof in such a manner that, according to the invention, the roof element on one-half of the ridge edge supports simulated ridge bricks. Within the area of its corners at the side of the ridge on its inner side are provided two projections, the projections being vertical or perpendicular with reference to the plane of the roof and parallel to the lateral edges corresponding to the pitch of the roof. One of these projections is provided with a hole and is located nearer to the side edge at a distance equal to the thickness of the other projection, and the other projection is provided with a lateral lug. This lug faces towards the lateral edge and corresponds in its diameter to the diameter of the hole in the other projection. This construction provides a simple connection of the roof and provides also the advantage that all roof elements are identical to each other. An inverse construction is also possible so that the projection which is at a further distance from the lateral edge is provided with a hole and the other projection is in that case provided with the lug facing away from the lateral edge.
According to another embodiment of the invention, gutters or eaves are provided which may be mounted on the upper edge of the wall plates and which protrude over the lower edge of the roof elements. That makes it possible to shape the roof corresponding to the actual technical practice where eaves or gutters are often arranged at inclinations other than that of the roofs. Furthermore, the invention provides for accessories fitting into aperatures in the roof elements, for example accessories such as chimneys, roof gables and the like.
In order to be capable of using the toy building not only for the construction of houses but also of castles or defense balustrades, the invention provides also battlements which may be mounted on the upper edge of the wall plates. The battlements may be connected to each other by mating their lateral edges with clamping elements of an equilateral and quadrilateral connecting pillar. The quadrilateral construction of the connecting pillar has the advantage that only one kind of connecting pillar has to be manufactured. If, as provided by the invention, the clamping elements form a longitudinal groove, open either upwards or downwards, it is possible to push the connecting pillars onto the battlements after the erection of the battlements.
Furthermore, the invention provides a balcony suspendable into the notches of the upper edge of the wall plates, and a railing of this balcony may be pushed onto a ceiling plate which may be provided with a mounting extension on one side only.
The surface of the wall plates may provided with a relief-shaped reproduction of building stones, the size and shape of which may be varied in accordance with design of the planned toy building. Furthermore, the wall plates may have apertures for the introduction of windows, bullseye glasses, fences, doors, and the like. It is also possible to prepare a wall plate having a double modular size which looks like a portal of a castle and furnished with the corresponding surrounding fieldstones.
Considering that the toy buildings made according to the invention will have to be populated by toy figures, an open wall-element may be provided consisting of a frame with anchoring bars. This method guarantees the stability of the building and makes it also possible to stage realistic games.
In order to build complete framework houses or in order to allow a mixed method of building houses consisting simulation partly of framework and partly of stone, the invention provides that some wall plates which form, for instance, whole gable walls are prepared as timber framework plates. If it is desired to build complete timber or framework houses without using the esthetically troubling connecting elements which are like masonry work, then the invention provides connecting elements which are formed like framework. Accordingly, it is possible to build larger timber or framework houses by combining framework plates with connecting elements with timber or framework plates without connecting elements, in other words with plates furnished only with the anchoring elements which act as counter-connecting elements. It is also possible to connect timberwork with brickwork when, for instance, a building abuts a town wall.
Due to the fact that bi-colored injection moldings are very expensive and that the beams of the timberwork should have another color than the wall panels, the invention provides that the timberwork elements consist of two parts. One part represents only the timberwork encompassing the beam construction and the other part is a wall plate capable of being inserted on the inner side of the first part. In order to imitate framework houses as closely as possible, the invention provides that the beams fit into longitudinal recesses arranged in the wall plate, the depth of the recesses corresponding to the thickness of the beams. Thus such a model is very similar to an actual building. The framework and the wall plates are connected by spring or clamping action according to the invention. By using this framework, separated from the wall plate, it is possible to enter the interior of a building. Furthermore, it is also possible to build by this method barns which consist only of the carrying framework-and-beam construction.